Causality
by AnthonyMahlson2131
Summary: There was a reason Dakota wanted to prevent the Mississippi Purchase. Few remember it, for good reason. However, a time villain only known as "A" wants to bring it about once more, so that he may rule over it as the supreme leader. When the Bureau is compromised, it is up to Dakota, Cavendish and their boss Mr. Block to stop A's plan and save the timeline. Crossposted from AO3.
1. Prologue: The MP Timeline

In the year 1803 A.D., the Mississippi Purchase was made. What followed was, at first, nothing majorly different from what you would expect. Then came the Civil War. The war did not end with peace, and the South succeeded in their plans to secede from the North. From there, it was all downhill. Wars lasted longer than they should have, and the wrong people almost always won. Technology advanced unevenly, with emphasis being placed on warfare and less on utilities. Food was scarce and people often starved, save for those important few who could afford to eat and live in luxury. Governments became oppressive, and people were subjugated and slaughtered if they were to ever disagree with the accepted norm. It was, to put it simply, a dystopian hellscape. By the 2140s, there were several resistance factions, all working toward the same goal: A better world than the one they lived in.

One such faction was known as the Bureau of Time Travel. They were one of the luckier ones. Having discovered the secret of time travel, they sought to change the world for the better by altering the past. In the process of doing so, they began to discover the many branches in their timeline. There were small branches caused by the simplest of things: which ice cream flavor a random person decided on, whether or not a political figure wore a different colored tie, and so forth. Then there were what the Bureau called "pivotal points". Major events that, depending on how they turned out, could change the course of history in vastly different directions. Whatever had brought about the timeline they lived in hinged on one of those pivotal points. The only problem was, which point was it?

In came a boy no older than 16 named Vinnie Dakota, the son of a Bureau member that had been assassinated by the government. He claimed that he was close to figuring out the pivotal point behind their grim timeline, and wanted to help. The leader, a young man named Daniel Block, had a feeling Dakota was mostly driven by vengeance. He decided to bring him on anyway. Dakota was assigned to go through their databanks and compile everything he knew, seeking out that vital branch and how to change it, while the rest of the Bureau would continue to gather intelligence.

On field missions, Block was often accompanied by his partner: Anthony Mahlson. Block and Anthony were nigh inseparable. There was a degree of trust between them that was almost unheard of in the timeline they lived in. One could always count on the other to watch his back, and would always do the same in return. Their camraderie wasn't limited to missions, either. Even during their few hours of downtime, Anthony and Block could be seen talking together, joking and sharing rations. What they had was more than just trust. It was friendship, and perhaps even love.

One day, the pair of them went on a mission to the past. Their mission was to retrieve a vital flash drive believed to hold the data needed for Dakota to finally pinpoint the divergence point of their timeline. The boy had worked for three years to get to this point, and now victory was finally within their grasp. The mission went by quickly. They infiltrated the building, retrieved the flash drive, and got out, seemingly home free with almost no difficulty. If only it could truly be so easy.

Anthony and Block were ambushed by government agents shortly after leaving the building. Taken by surprise, they had the disadvantage, but they fought back nonetheless. They were each able to take out one agent, reducing it to a two-against-two. Now, they had a relatively even playing field. Anthony was able to defeat his assailant, but Block was not so lucky. He continued to fight back, though, ordering Anthony to go on without him. He was knocked to the ground, and when it seemed like the agent was going for the killing blow, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.

It never came. Two gunshots rang out, one after the other, and Block's eyes snapped open. He couldn't feel any pain, there was no gunshot wound on his body. When he looked up, it was clear his assailant wasn't so lucky. An angry red stain was blossoming from her chest, her grip on her gun loosening before she collapsed in a heap in front of him. Block didn't need to turn around to know who had saved him. He stood up and turned to praise Anthony for his assist, but the words died before they even left his throat.

Anthony stood in place with wide eyes, his hand pressed against his stomach. He had already dropped his gun from the shock. "Daniel..." He croaked out, slowly removing his hand from his torso. It came away bloody. Anthony had been shot. "Anthony!" Block's whole world felt like it was falling away, and he ran toward his partner as Anthony sank to his knees, gasping in pain.

"Hold on, Anthony, I've gotcha!" Block gripped onto Anthony's arms, guiding him to lay back against the wall. Anthony's hands were shaking, and his breathing was becoming ragged and uneven. Their eyes met, and somehow, both of them knew it was the end. Block swore under his breath and pressed his hand against the wound, trying desperately to stem the flow of blood. "Dammit, I told you to go on without me. You have the flash drive, you could have gone ahead and saved the future!" He scolded, icy blue eyes locking on Anthony's grey ones.

A grim chuckle escaped from Anthony's throat, followed by a cringe of pain as the movement sent his insides spasming. Even Block's stern glare couldn't stop the smile on his face as he responded, "What- and just let you die? We're partners first, Block. Partners have to watch each other's backs."

That earned him another glare from Block, this one more saddened than angry. Tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes, tears that he blinked away as soon as he realized they were there. "That doesn't mean getting yourself killed for my sake!" Block's voice wavered, and he shook his head, trying to put all his focus on stopping the bleeding. If only he could get the blood flow to stop, he might be able to save Anthony.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like he'd be able to in time. Anthony's eyelids were drooping, and he was on the verge of passing out at any moment. Block stiffened as he noticed this, shaking him awake. "Hey, no, none of that. I need you to stay with me, Anthony. We're gonna get out of this together."

"Ah... Alright, Danny boy." Anthony blinked at him through tired eyes, a bittersweet smile on his lips. Block went back to trying to stop the bleeding, keeping pressure on the wound. Despite his best efforts, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Anthony felt his consciousness beginning to fade, even as he fought to keep his eyes open for Block. He wasn't going to make it, and he knew it. They both knew it.

Reaching his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the flash drive and pushed it into Block's hand. "Daniel... make sure this gets back to Dakota. I'm sorry, but it looks like we really will have to part ways here." He murmured through the haze of pain and dizziness, meeting his partner's eyes. Block froze up, and stared at Anthony for several moments, trying to process what he was telling him. Anthony chuckled and slumped back against the wall, shaking his head. "I know, pretty hypocritical of me, isn't it? But you have to go on without me. You'll be okay."

Block gripped the flash drive tightly in his hand, staring at Anthony as though he'd grown a second head. Slowly, he shook his head, tears slipping down his cheeks. "No. No, Anthony, I'm not going to leave you here! There has to be some way I can save you, there has to be..."

The pair of them flinched as they heard shouting in the distance. The enemy had backup on the way. Block's heart stuttered in his chest in panic, and he kept staring in the direction of the noise. Anthony reached up and cupped his cheek in his hand, guiding Block to look at him again. A faint smile crossed his lips and he spoke, "Go. Go save the world, Danny boy. I believe in you."

With that, his eyes drifted shut, and his hand slipped to the ground. Anthony Mahlson breathed his last. Block remained paralyzed with shock and grief for several moments. He let out several soft, choked noises that could have been sobs. He couldn't believe that his partner was gone, just like that. It took the shouts becoming louder, for someone to yell 'they're over here', to snap Block out of his trance. He jolted into action, eyes wild with panic as he looked around. Quickly slipping the flash drive into his pocket, he gave Anthony's body one last look before fleeing the scene.

He despised having to leave his partner's body behind. His partner, who had sacrificed himself to save him, after everything they'd been through, was gone. Block almost couldn't believe he was dead. He made it back to the future, delivered the flash drive to Dakota, and even then it still hadn't quite sunk in. It took until the Mississippi Purchase Prevention mission for it to really hit him that Anthony was gone. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

Block resolved then and there to never let himself get close to anyone like that again. He didn't think he could handle going through that pain again. They had changed the future, saved the world from a living hell, but at what cost? Some days, Block found himself wondering if he was entirely sure it was worth it.


	2. Chapter 1: Snackfood Sabotage

Danville, 2018.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Cavendish and Dakota were stalking a pair of their coworkers. Ever since the mission of protecting pistachios fell to their higher-ranked colleagues, Brick and Savannah, it made the sabotage of said mission far more difficult. Which meant they had to utilize stealth to the best of their ability. Though, considering it was Cavendish and Dakota, stealth pretty much involved Cavendish doing all the hiding and Dakota simply standing nearby, chowing down on a sandwich.

On this particular day, Brick and Savannah's mission had them manning a pistachio stand in the park. Their mission was, of course, to protect the pistachios at all costs. Fearing that success would bring about another Pistachion takeover, however, Dakota and Cavendish knew they had to ensure the failure of that mission. That was what led them here, Cavendish peering out from behind a lamp post as Dakota stood at his side. "Aha! There they are." He whispered to his colleague, spotting their first-class compatriots.

Cavendish rubbed his chin in thought, squinting as he observed Brick and Savannah. "Now, the question is, how shall we do this? We can't exactly walk up to them and kick their stand over, that would be the end of our careers!" He turned to Dakota, who swallowed a mouthful of food before responding, "It'd be a lot easier if there was a Murphy around, then they couldn't even blame _us._ "

"Indeed..." Cavendish sighed, and the pair of them began looking around, in the hopes of finding anything they could use to their advantage. There was a pond in the park, with several ducks swimming around in it. In the streets, there was an open manhole with haphazard boundaries set around it, and a window washer on a ladder by one of the many buildings around them. Dakota's eyes lit up after a moment and he grasped Cavendish's shoulder. "Wait a moment. Look at that pond over there. See those ducks? I bet if we startle them, they'll swarm toward the pistachio stand, and that'll do the trick!"

Cavendish looked toward the pond and his eyes widened. "By jove, I think that just might do it! But how will we chase them in that direction without calling attention to ourselves?" In that exact moment, they spotted an auburn-haired young man wielding a double-sided STOP sign. A young man named Elliot Decker, someone they knew commonly antagonized their young friend, Milo Murphy. A mischievous glint entered Dakota's eyes, and a similar grin spread across Cavendish's lips. "Perfect."

Dakota flagged down the volunteer crossing guard, with a wave and a call of, "'Ey, safety czar! Come here for a second, will ya?"

Elliot approached at the call of 'safety czar', already beaming in pride from his preferred title being used. When he spotted Cavendish and Dakota, his eyes widened behind his shades and he stared in awe. "W-woah, it's you two! The... the guys with the car, and the time travel!"

"Yeah yeah, it's us. Keep it down. We need your help with something." Dakota waved his hands in a shushing motion, then turned Elliot toward the park as he pointed out Brick and Savannah's pistachio stand. "See those nut vendors over there? I've heard that their stand isn't up to code. Actually, I thought their broiler smelled a little funny. So, do you think you could do us a favor, give it the ol' safety inspection?"

Elliot's eyes lit up behind his shades and he puffed up his chest proudly, all but saluting Dakota as he declared, "But of course! Safety is my middle name! ...Not literally, though. At least not yet. I've been thinking about legally changing it." At Dakota's raised eyebrow, Elliot's mind snapped back to the task at hand. "Anyway! Fret not, citizens! The safety czar is on the case!"

With that, Elliot began his determined march towards the completely unaware time agents and their pistachio stand. Sure enough, as Cavendish and Dakota predicted, the ducks seemed to sense Elliot's presence and began vacating the pond. The flock headed towards the safety czar with a vengeance, the man still not noticing them by the time he reached Brick and Savannah's stand. Cavendish couldn't make out the conversation that ensued, but judging by their colleagues' annoyed reactions and Brick's hostile glare, Elliot wasn't making a good first impression. Within moments, Brick was sizing up the younger male and the ducks prepared their territorial descent. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a man Cavendish fleetingly recognized as Martin Murphy sped by on his out-of-control bicycle. Murphy's law was now in effect.

Chaos ensued. Elliot screamed and flailed his arms in an attempt to knock the ducks away, causing one to hit Brick in the face, which sent the agent stumbling into the pistachio stand and knocking it off its brakes. The stand went rolling away and Savannah leapt to her feet to pursue it, only for it to hit a curb and start rolling down the road. One wheel went into the open manhole, and the pistachios were sent flying everywhere. The window washer was pelted with nuts, and as he moved his arms up to shield his face, he lost his balance on the ladder. He grabbed onto the window ledge, saving himself just in time for the ladder to topple over... towards Cavendish.

Dakota's eyes widened and almost reflexively, he dropped his sandwich and grabbed Cavendish by the shoulders, pulling him back. He only just managed to pull him out of the danger zone. Cavendish turned toward Dakota with wide eyes, heart racing from his near-miss with the ladder. "My word! That almost-"

"YOU!"

Both of the time travellers froze in place. That was Brick's voice, carrying fury and scorn. The pair turned their eyes in that direction, and Dakota grimaced seeing the man storming towards them, already pointing an accusing finger their way. He was disheveled, vendor outfit covered in feathers and dirt, and his hair was far from the neat quiff it was usually combed into. "We should have known you two were behind this!" Brick snarled, jabbing his finger against Cavendish's chest.

Cavendish recoiled and scrunched up his nose in indignation, taking a step back. Hands on his hips, he bravely met Brick's eyes and retorted, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Dakota and I were merely passing by on our way to lunch."

Brick clearly wasn't buying it. "Bull! You've been trying to sabotage our mission from the very start! Don't think we didn't notice that was _your car_ at the Race For Runts!"

With every word, Cavendish and Dakota shared a nervous glance and took another step back. Seeing their clear intent to flee, Savannah caught up with the situation and ran up behind them to block their escape. Dakota internally swore as their chance to escape was cut off. A nervous smile crossed his lips and he regarded Savannah. "Oh, hey! Savannah... your vendor outfit looks good on you! Really shows off your legs!"

Dakota flinched as one of said legs whipped up and pinned him against the wall. Savannah narrowed her eyes at him, resting her hands on her hips. "You can't charm your way out of this one, Dakota. The boss _will_ be hearing about this."

At that, a wicked smirk crossed Brick's face. He pulled out his communicator and waved it tauntingly before their eyes. "As a matter of fact, we'll be telling him _right now._ Oh, he's going to be furious with you two. This might even spell the end of your garbage careers!"

Dakota's cheeks flushed with anger, a fierce look in his eyes as he silently glared at Brick. Cavendish had never seen his partner so furious, and he couldn't quite fathom why. He felt a swell of indignation at the insult towards their careers, however. So perhaps that was the reason why.

Regardless of their feelings, Brick dialed up headquarters and waited with a smirk for Mr. Block to answer. It wasn't long before the gruff voice of their boss sounded on the other end. "Brick? I hope you have a good reason for calling me right before lunch hour!"

"As a matter of fact, sir, I do. You remember how we caught Cavendish and Dakota sabotaging their own mission? Well, they haven't learned their lesson. We just caught them sabotaging our pistachio cart." Brick shot a sinister smile at the pair of agents, turning the communicator towards the trashed cart to show Block the evidence.

"What?! This is an outrage! I demand to speak to them this instant!" Block shouted, the volume even causing Brick to wince a little. He nodded and turned the communicator in their direction. "They're right here, sir."

Cavendish and Dakota almost immediately cringed from the icy glare of their boss, whose cheeks were turning a blotchy red color. Cavendish swore he could see a vein pulsing in his temple. "Cavendish and Dakota..." He growled, voice dripping with venom, "You two have directly violated your orders more than once, and now you're sabotaging other agents! You- No, you know what? You don't deserve to stand there and take it through a screen! I want you two to report to headquarters right now! That's an order! Brick, Savannah, see to it that they follow that order."

"Yes, sir." The first-class pair responded in unison. Block leveled his glare at Cavendish and Dakota, taking in a deep breath. His next words were shockingly steady, muttered in a low tone, "I will see you in my office." The screen went black as he abruptly cut off the connection.

Cavendish grimaced and looked at Dakota, who was uncharacteristically silent through all of this. He was taken aback to see the solemn expression on his partner's face. There wasn't any anger or frustration like he'd expected, just a sort of resigned acceptance. Was that guilt he saw as well? He didn't have a chance to mull it over, as Brick grabbed him roughly by the arm and started pulling him along. "Come on. We're taking you two mutineers to headquarters."

Savannah summoned the limousine, grabbing Dakota by his hair and shoving him unceremoniously into the back seat. Cavendish was soon tossed in after him, and the door slammed shut before he could right himself. Brick and Savannah went around to the front of the limo, Savannah sliding into the driver's seat and Brick right beside her. He cast a glare at Cavendish and Dakota through the rear-view mirror, growling, "Don't try anything, you two. I've got my eye on you."

The vehicle jumped into the time stream before the pair could even consider trying to escape, but from the look of things, Dakota wasn't planning on it at all. He sat down on the seat, resting his hands on his knees and staring quietly out the window. Cavendish opened his mouth, a question already forming in his throat, but Dakota then locked eyes with him and shook his head. As though saying there was no point in resisting.

Confusion filled Cavendish's eyes, and he closed his mouth. What could he even say? He had never seen Dakota like this, and he couldn't understand why. He thought he knew his partner, and could predict how he'd react in these situations. Now, all his expectations had been turned on their heads. He, too, fell silent and took a seat beside Dakota. Waiting with a growing sense of dread for their arrival in the future, and for what would be their formal reprimand.


End file.
